Heating system and method for operating said system

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a heating system and a method for operating said system, comprising a first and a second heating device ( 1, 2 ) and a common control unit ( 3 ), wherein the first and the second heating device ( 1, 2 ) is designed such that it can be operated with the same fluid fuel and that it can be controlled by means of the control unit ( 3 ). According to the invention, at least one time-dependent process parameter of the control unit ( 3 ) is intended and/or used as a calculation basis for determining fuel consumption values of the first and/or second heating device ( 1, 2 ).

The invention relates to a heating system according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for operating this system according to the preamble of claim 4.

A heating system comprising a first and a second heating device and a common control unit, where the first and the second heating device is designed such that it can be operated with the same fluid fuel (in particular oil or gas) and it can be controlled by means of the control unit, is generally known so that no particular documentary evidence is required in this regard.

Such a heating system is usually connected to a fuel source (gas or oil connection) via a (single) connection. A gas or oil meter is usually attached to this connection so that the total consumption of the heating system can be determined.

It is the object of the invention to be able to determine the individual consumption of the heating devices in a heating system of the type specified initially and specifically without, which would be obvious, positioning respectively one gas or oil meter upstream of the particular heating device.

This object is solved objectively with a heating system of the type specified initially by the features specified in the characterizing part of claim 1. The features of the characterizing part of claim 4 solve this object in terms of the method. Naturally the heating system can also comprise more than two heating devices.

According to the invention, therefore at least one time-dependent process parameter of the control unit is or will be provided or used as a calculation basis for determining fuel consumption values of the first and/or second heater.

In other words, the consumption (gas or oil) of the heating device according to the invention is calculated in each case on the basis of process parameters provided in the control unit, which is described more accurately further below. As explained initially, in this way it is possible to dispense with a second cost-intensive fuel meter.

It is preferably provided that one heating device is configured as a so-called combined heat and power heating device, that is as a heating device having combined heat and power, and the other heating device is configured as a commercially available heating boiler, in particular a peak load boiler. In a heating system of this type, the solution according to the invention makes it possible to separately determine the fuel fraction consumed by the combined heat and power heating device, which is of major advantage in particular in relation to possible tax refund claims.

Other advantageous further developments are obtained from the dependent claims.

For the sake of completeness, reference is made to DE 199 16 186 C2, from which a heating system is known, which comprises a heating device, that can be operated with a fluid fuel, and a control unit in which a time-dependent process parameter is provided as a calculation basis for determining the fuel consumption of the heating device.

The heating system according to the invention or the method according to the invention including its advantageous further developments according to the dependent claims is explained in detail hereinafter with reference to the diagrammatic depiction of an exemplary embodiment.

In the figures

FIG. 1 shows schematically the heating system according to the invention comprising two heating devices and

FIG. 2 shows the time behavior of a process parameter as a diagram.

The heating system shown in FIG. 1 consists of a first and a second heating device 1, 2, and a common control unit 3, which regulates the interplay of the heating devices 1, 2. One heating device 1 is configured here as a so-called combined heat and power heating device, in particular as a Stirling engine. This heating device 1 is used to cover a base load and produces both heat (indicated by the reference number 4) and power (indicated by the reference number 5). The other heating device 2 is configured as a conventional heating boiler and is used to cover peak heat loads (again indicated by the reference number 4). Both heating devices 1, 2 are operated with the same fluid fuel, in particular gas, where the reference number 6 indicates the fuel supply.

It is now essential for the heating system according to the invention that at least one time-dependent process parameter (if desired or favorable, a plurality thereof are also possible) of the control unit 3 is provided or will be used as a calculation basis for determining fuel consumption values of the first and/or second heating device 1, 2.

This is preferably accomplished by integrating the process parameter over the time and determining the fuel consumption value from this and using a predetermined correlation. The predetermined correlation is here stored in particular in the form of a data set or a data curve in the control unit 3 and assigns a fuel consumption value to each process parameter integral value.

With regard to the said process parameter, according to one solution of the invention, an electrical power generated by the heating device 1 configured as a combined heat and power heating device is used. Knowing the efficiency of the combined heat and power heating device, the fuel consumption can be determined on the basis of the electrical power generated in a time interval.

According to another solution of the invention, a rotational speed of at least one burner fan disposed on one of the two heating devices 1, 2 is used as the process parameter, which comprises the option of taking into account the rotational speeds of a plurality of fans of the heating devices 1, 2. The amount of air conveyed in a time interval can be determined from the rotational speed and therefore ultimately the amount of fuel consumed by means of the so-called air-fuel ratio.

Furthermore, according to a further solution of the invention, a temperature measured at one of the two heating devices 1, 2 is used as the process parameter since the fuel consumption can also be determined from this (with a known or predefined correlation to the amount of energy consumed).

In addition, for example, trigger values for gas quantity adjusting units (for example, the trigger current, the voltage, or the electrical power input of a gas fitting) or the step positions of an air deflecting valve motor or an adjusting motor for the throttle flap position can be considered as process parameters.

In FIG. 2 the behavior of a process parameter V(t) is plotted over time t. If this process parameter is integrated, for example, between the time limits t₁ and t₂, a certain scalar value is obtained therefrom. The fuel consumption value for this time interval can be calculated for this by means of the mentioned, previously determined, and stored correlation.

Depending on which process parameters are used, either the consumption of one, the other, or both heating devices 1, 2 can be calculated, where alternatively the total consumption by means of an appropriate meter disposed on the gas supply line (see reference number 6) is optionally also taken into account. The crucial thing is that thanks to the solution according to the invention using the process parameters, separate meters at the individual heating devices 1, 2 can be dispensed with.

REFERENCE LIST

-   1 First heating device -   2 Second heating device -   3 Control unit -   4 Heat -   5 Current -   6 Gas 

1. A heating system comprising a first and a second heating device (1, 2) and a common control unit (3), wherein the first and second heating device (1, 2) are designed so that they can be operated with the same fluid fuel and can be controlled by means of the control unit (3), wherein at least one time-dependent process parameter of the control unit (3) is provided as a calculation basis for determining fuel consumption values of the first and/or second heating device (1, 2).
 2. The heating system according to claim 1, wherein one of the two heating devices (1) is configured as a combined heat and power heating device, in particular as a Stirling engine, for generating heat and power.
 3. The heating system according to claim 1, wherein one of the two heating devices (2) is configured as a heating boiler for generating heat.
 4. A method for operating a heating system comprising a first and a second heating device (1, 2) and a common control unit (3), wherein the first and second heating device (1, 2) are operated with the same fluid fuel and are controlled by means of the control unit (3), wherein at least one time-dependent process parameter of the control unit (3) is provided as a calculation basis for determining fuel consumption values of the first and/or second heating device (1, 2).
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the process parameter is integrated over the time and the fuel consumption value is determined from this and using a predetermined correlation.
 6. The method according to claim 4, wherein an electrical power generated by a heating device (1) configured as a combined heat and power heating device is used as a process parameter.
 7. The method according to claim 4, wherein a rotational speed of a burner fan disposed on one of the two heating devices (1, 2) is used as a process parameter.
 8. The method according to claim 4, wherein a temperature measured at one of the two heating devices (1, 2) is used as a process parameter. 